Successful Actors Are Also Great Marketers

An actor is usually the type of person who is willing to dedicate months, even years to his or her craft. But, in order to have a successful career, an actor must also learn how to become an effective marketer. There is no secret formula to marketing yourself in the entertainment industry. You just need to know a few simple steps that will allow you to handle the business of promoting your most valuable product, which is “YOU”.

What You Need…

1.A Professional Headshot.

A headshot is not just a photograph of you, it’s your most essential marketing tool. You should consider it your business card. It’s an 8×10 photo that should be a true representation of you. This SHOULD NOT be a modeling or glamour type photo.

It’s very important that you look exactly like your headshot because when you get called in for an audition, the casting director expects the person in the picture to be the person who walks through the door. No surprises.

2. A Professional Demo Reel.

“If you aspire to be a working actor, you need a good demo reel. If you don’t have a good demo reel, get one. If you do have a good demo reel, improve it.”
– Award winning production editor, Derrick Boelter.

A demo reel is a sample of your work as an actor. There are usually two types of demo reels. A Speed Reel has a run time of one minute. It gets right to point and shows your best work. A Full Reel usually has a running time of 3-5 minutes and features more complete scenes of your work.

It is advised that you use a professional video editor when making a demo reel because you want to show the best possible representation of your work.

3. Professionally Taped Video Auditions.

During the first round of auditions for a Tv or Film role, many casting directors will ask the actors to video tape their audition and submit it for consideration. This saves time and money for both parties. But, no matter how good the audition may be, if the video taping of the scene is done poorly, it could result in the actor Not getting a “Call Back” for the role.

Once again, the use of a professional videographer is always going to give the actor a distinct advantage. It simply says that you take your work very seriously, and that you want to present yourself in the best possible way.

4.A Professional Website.

Creating a personalized website enhances your professionalism as an actor. This is the perfect tool to help promote you and your career. Your website should be the place that displays all of your acting resources that have been mentioned previously.

It is highly recommended that you hire a professional webmaster to design and create your website. Remember, this is the site that everyone will visit when they need to gather information about you and your skills. It must be PROFESSIONAL.

The costs of these services can fluctuate from very affordable to extremely expensive, so do your research. Average cost for a professional headshot is one hundred to three hundred dollars depending on the photographer. Professional video editing is usually broken down into an hourly cost. The average price is usually fifty to seventy five dollars per hour. The good news is that it usually doesn’t take more than a couple of hours to completely edit most demo reels. A professional videographer will usually charge by the session. Starting cost is approximately thirty dollars per session.

Most industry professionals will offer ongoing discounts or special rates on their services on a regular basis, so be sure to inquire.

All of these resources are most likely available in your community and can be found by doing a little research on the internet. Another great source of information is always – your fellow actors.